Former world champions Pakistan, often regarded as one of the most unpredictable teams in major tournaments, hold aspirations of clinching the coveted trophy at the upcoming ICC World Cup hosted in India next month. Pakistan, champions in the 1992 edition of the World Cup, under the captaincy of Babar Azam, also carry a strong desire to break their long-standing losing streak against arch-rivals India in the 50-over World Cup.
In a surprising turn of events at the T20 World Cup in 2021, Pakistan achieved the unthinkable by defeating India with a remarkable 10-wicket victory over Virat Kohli’s team. This historic win marked their first-ever triumph against India in World Cup events. Under the leadership of superstar Babar, the Men In Green further demonstrated their prowess by reaching the final of the World Cup last year in Australia. Despite currently holding the No.2 spot in One Day Internationals (ODIs), legendary Pakistani pacer Waqar Younis has characterized Babar’s team as a ‘hit-and-miss’ unit when it comes to World Cup competitions.
“As we all know, it (India vs Pakistan) will be the biggest game, mother of all the games. So, when you play in Ahmedabad, you will have to control your nerves, and not only Pakistan will be under pressure since it is a weaker team as compared to India. But India will also be under pressure because the crowd in the stadium will create pressure on both the teams,” Waqar Younis told Star Sports.
The former Pakistan captain also asserted that Team India holds an advantage over Babar Azam’s squad in the upcoming World Cup. Younis, who led Pakistan in the 2003 edition of the tournament, acknowledged that the injury to pacer Naseem Shah was a significant setback for Pakistan. Shah, the fast bowler, sustained a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup. Pakistan’s World Cup journey is set to commence with a match against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on October 6.
“However, if we judge purely based on the team’s performance, India definitely will be a better team,” he added. Younis was also mindful of the Pakistani’s unstable form, and said the injury-enforced absence of pacer Naseem Shah could put them in a significant disadvantage. If I talk about Pakistan, they are a miss and hit this time. The absence of Naseem Shah will be a big disadvantage because Naseem and Shaheen (Afridi) used to complement each other with new ball,” Younis said.